A Quirky Sort of Logic
by aaliona
Summary: "Neville froze, staring down the stairs towards the chairs by the fire. He had thought his own common room was the one place he didn't have to worry about making a fool of himself in front of her. Apparently he was wrong."


**This is my first time ever writing Luna was a main character! It's for the ****Fear Factor, Fanfiction style Competition by flutter of angel wings. Enjoy!**

Neville froze, staring down the stairs towards the chairs by the fire. The patch of long, red hair was a typical sight, but the shock of blonde was not. He had thought his own common room was the one place he didn't have to worry about making a fool of himself in front of her. Apparently he was wrong.

Just as he was wondering if it would be too cowardly to run back to his room, Ginny looked up. "Hello Neville."

He cursed internally but called back, "Hello." Neville made his way down the stairs at what he hoped was a normal pace. "Hello Luna," he said shyly. "What are you doing here?"

She smiled, looking all the world like an angel to him. "With the Carrows lurking the halls, we didn't want to go to the library. Ginny said it probably wouldn't matter if I came in so long as I promised not to tell anyone the password." Luna frowned as concern filled her eyes. "It isn't a problem, is it?"

"No, no," Neville said hastily. "I was just wondering. That's all."

Luna nodded, taking his words without question. Neville glanced over at Ginny who was jerking her head to tell him to sit down. With a gulp, he did just that.

"What are you working on?" he asked as he took a seat in the chair across from them.

"It's a project for Transfigurations," Luna replied brightly. "Did you do it last year?"

He winced. "Actually, I'm not in Transfigurations anymore. McGonagall suggested my talents would be better suited in Charms."

Luna smiled warmly. "I suppose a lot of people don't do both anymore. Our class is rather small."

"Would you like to know about the project anyway?" Ginny asked suddenly, grinning like a cat who had stumbled upon a bit of tuna.

"Sure," Neville replied, his throat completely dry.

Ginny stood. "Why don't you explain, Luna? I think there's a book up in my dorm that could help us."

Neville watched helplessly as his only barrier between him and Luna walked away. It was cruel, really. When one is socially awkward, crushes don't turn out the best, and Ginny really should have none that. She'd been bright enough to realize that he fancied Luna in the first place, after all.

Oblivious to his inner turmoil, Luna began to explain, "We have to look at various human Transfigurations over the years and figure out features that just aren't very easy to pull off. It's like pink eyebrows. They seem perfect in theory, but seldom are witches or wizards able to pull them off."

He nodded, as though he had any idea what she was talking about. Of course pink eyebrows didn't work. "Is that all?" he asked.

Luna shook her head. "We also have to test out our theories on ourselves and others."

Neville didn't quite know what to say, so he didn't reply. Silence fell over them, and Neville could feel it pushing down on him, even more awkward than anything he could be saying, but Luna didn't seem to notice. She was content to shuffle through her parchment. Finally Neville's curiosity got the best of him. "What are you looking for?"

She glanced up at him and pulled out a page covered in sketches of noses. He wrinkled his brow in confusion. "Muggles do this procedure called a nose job that basically works like Transfiguration to give someone a new nose."

"That's really weird," Neville commented.

Luna nodded. "That's what I think. Ginny says it's so people look how they perceive to be more appealing. Can I test my theory that it won't make a difference on you?"

"What?" Neville jumped.

"It won't hurt," Luna promised. "McGonagall says I have a knack for facial Transfiguration. I'm quite good at it."

"Well… Okay," Neville agreed.

Luna pulled out her wand. "Just relax," she said.

Neville tried, but he just couldn't. His eyes scrunched up as he waited for the pain to start, but it never did. Curiously, it felt like someone was pushing and pulling on his nose, but Luna had been right; it wasn't hard enough to hurt. He opened his eyes and looked down cross-eyed at his nose, which was protruding more than he was used to.

He looked up at Luna, who quirked her mouth from side to side in contemplation. "Well?" he finally asked.

"You look silly." His face fell, although he wasn't sure why. It wasn't his fault another nose didn't suit him. "But I like it."

"What?" Neville looked back up at her. "If it's silly, how can you like it?"

"You're still you," she replied simply. "A different nose won't change that, just as I thought it wouldn't. I like the way you look, so you don't look much different."

Neville blushed. "You mean it?"

Luna nodded, but Ginny chose that moment to return. "What's wrong with your nose, Neville?"


End file.
